Excerpt
from
Step
and Go Together - B.
K. Beckwith
“’Noor,
as he stands today,’ Lou Machado continued, ‘is the
best made thoroughbred I’ve ever seen. He has enough of
everything in the right places, and not too much of anything.’
We looked at the big stallion as he swung in his paddock,
finally pulling up opposite us and nodding his head toward us
over the white wall. ‘It is a pleasure for me to be able
to sit here and watch him. I never tire of it. He is the
perfection of balance and power.'”
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“We
have all heard the stories of great horses and that of their
jockeys, but every once in awhile something extraordinary
happens between a horse and jockey that puts them in a class
above all others. Such was the case between Noor and Johnny
Longden.” - Quote courtesy of Charlotte Farmer
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*Noor's
Story
The
following written materials were provided courtesy of Charlotte
Farmer who brought Noor's remains from Loma Rica Ranch in Grass
Valley, California to Old Friends Equine in Georgetown, KY
where he was laid to rest. Charlotte's passionate devotion to
Noor reminds us all that if we keep on telling the stories of
these great champions, they will never die but will live on
forever. Thank you, Charlotte!
- Noor
was named after one of the most famous diamonds in history, the
Kohinoor. Kohinoor means, “mountain of light,” and
thus, Noor means “light.” The Kohinoor is set in
the Maltese cross at the front of the crown that was made for
Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother.
|
The
Kohinoor Diamond
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Farmer
|
- Charles
“Seabiscuit” Howard purchased Noor in 1949. He
raced briefly in the fall of that year, and then in 1950,
slowly and steadily began to catch on to the ways of American
racing. This was never more evident than when he raced against
the mighty Citation in his first of five races in the San
Antonio Handicap. Both were five-year olds and gave rise to one
of the most famous rivalries in racing history.
-
Noor closed out his career with the running of the $100,000
Hollywood Gold Cup. The sportscasters of the time would
declare, “He swept past the greatest field of
thoroughbreds ever assembled in one race in the world this year
. . . shattered the track record for the mile-and-a-quarter . .
.” By winning he became one of only two horses to defeat
two Triple Crown winners, 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault and
1948 Triple Crown winner Citation. Chris T. Chenery’s
Hill Prince, 1950 Horse of the Year, had beaten Noor in the
two-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont earlier in the season;
Hill Prince also raced that day. After this win, Noor was named
1950 U. S. Champion Male Handicap Horse of the Year.
- In
December of 1951 Noor was sent to Lexington, Kentucky to stand
at stud at Charles A. Kenney’s Springside Farm. His stud
fee was $3,000.00, and in 1954 it was raised to $3,500.00.
-
In 1954, Noor was returned to California residing again at Lin
Howard’s Stock Farm in Moorpark. Then, at the age of 19,
Noor was moved for the final time to Fred Knoop’s Loma
Rica Ranch in Grass Valley, California. Noor passed away on
November 16, 1974, at the age of 29, and was buried in the
infield of the ranch’s 1/2-mile training track. Dr. Jon
Peek, DVM retired, the only living person who was there the day
Noor died, identified the approximate location of his grave.
With the aid of ground-penetrating radar, Noor’s grave
was located on March 16, 2010.
-
In 1999, Blood-Horse Magazine released a list of the top 100
Thoroughbred champion racehorses of the
20th Century. Noor is listed 69th, ahead of his rival
Hill Prince. In 2002, Noor was inducted into the Museum of
Racing and Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs, New York
-
A business park and
residential development was planned for the former Loma Rica
Ranch. In March 2010, Noor's
grave was located and an effort was mounted to ensure that his
remains were not disturbed. On August 26, 2011, Noor's remains
were exhumed for reburial in Kentucky.
-
Noor's remains were reinterred Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at
Old Friends Equine in Georgetown, KY. Charlotte Farmer, the
woman who led the effort to bring Noor's remains from
California to Kentucky, attended. There were readings, stories
shared, and one final Call to the Post to honor this great
champion.
Special
thanks also to Charlotte's Team – Erin
Dwyer, Denise Jaffke, Roxann Freitas, Kip Hannan, Ariadne Delon
Scott, Kittredge Collins, Eldon and Gary Parke, Karen Gogue
– who
helped bring Noor to Old Friends.
|
Charlotte
Farmer's special words to Noor...
|
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * *
Please Visit the
Noor Facebook!
For
more information on Noor, please visit the Noor Facebook page
created by Devora Berliner, “*Noor:
In Memory of a Champion”
Devora Berliner is
the proud owner of a Thoroughbred named Capricious One who has
Noor in his bloodline, making her connection even more
personal. And her memories of Noor are vivid as she writes, “I
remember Noor very well, even though I was just in grade school
when I met him. My dad was a huge fan of his and when he was
moved to Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley (about an hour from
where we live) in April 1964, we were there before the end of
the month. I'll always remember the look of awe on Daddy's face
when farm manager Henry Freitas opened the stall door and
turned Noor to face us. He was HUGE to a 4th grader and at
first the only thing I saw were his long, black legs. I'd been
around horses before, but never a former race horse so I knew
how to greet a horse for the first time held my hand out to
him, palm up and waited for Noor's reaction. This big,
beautiful face reached out and when he was just inches away, he
sniffed me. I'll never forget his warm breath on my hand and
his very soft nose. I was in love! We made annual visits to
Loma Rica after that, and our first stop was always to see
Noor. He was calm and very gentle whenever we saw him. He
carried himself as if he knew he was special, always looking so
regal...”
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
